New-style family support centre launches for East Ham and Plaistow residents
This week marks an exciting time for the East Ham and Plaistow locality. A new-style family support centre – known as a “Family Hub” - opened its doors at East Ham Library. The Hub is the first of its kind in the borough, and follows a successful £4 million Family Hubs & Start for Life grant secured by the council from central government.
Councillor Sarah Ruiz, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services said: “The opening is great for children, young people and their families and a real shift in the way we support and deliver services for our local people. The Family Hub concept is designed to act as a one stop shop to offer advice and guidance on a range of issues.
“We know that strong, supportive families make for more stable communities and happier individuals and this investment will help ensure families get the support they need from birth through to adulthood. It is great to see the first pilot opening for our local people and this will help pave the way for more across the borough over the next two years.”
A breadth of services will be available via the Family Hub, including perinatal classes, parenting support surgeries, family navigator signposting and stay and play sessions, complementing the wider range of support available across the borough. The hubs are designed to reflect local needs and parents and carers who use services are invited to join locality based Parent and Carer Advisory panels.
You can find out more about the Family Hubs, including what’s on and how to take part in the panel, via the Family Information Service website.